I want to resign, says Speaker

New Delhi: Hurt by the day-long boycott of the House by the Opposition capped by NDA Chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee's attack on him, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday said that he wanted to resign from the post.

"Today when we met him (Speaker), he said 'I will resign'. We told him that you have been unanimously elected by Parliament," CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said after a group of Left parties leaders met the Speaker.

Dasgupta said Somnath Chatterjee was persuaded not to resign.

The Left leaders meeting with Chatterjee came at the end of a day-long boycott by the BJP-led NDA which took the decision to protest against the Speaker "suppressing" the voice of the Opposition and his steps to get the government transact its business on Monday when the Pathak report was tabled.

The Opposition had also rejected the Speaker's appeal to it not to go ahead with the boycott and attend the Lok Sabha.

But what upset the Speaker was a letter from Vajpayee that suggested that he was not able to command the confidence of the Opposition members.

"All sections of the National Democratic Alliance feel deeply disappointed at the manner in which the House is being run at present. I may add that confidence in one's fairness and objectivity has to be commanded; it cannot be demanded," the former prime minister said in the letter ruling out going back on the boycott decision.

The Speaker declined to react to Vajpayee's letter saying he had immense respect for him and he would not like to say anything on it.

NDA MPs, wearing black gags, held a dharna in front of the statute of Mahatma Gandhi opposite the main entrance in Parliament House and it was clear that they would not attend Parliament.

With the benches to his Left virtually empty, the Speaker again appealed for end of the boycott saying Opposition was important for Parliament and democracy.

At the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday morning, Vajpayee read out the Speaker's letter to him appealing for an end of the boycott.

PAGE_BREAK

"This morning I read out to my colleagues your letter. And what a flood of reactions it evoked. Everyone who spoke agreed that the Opposition's contribution Parliament's proceedings were crucial. But there was unanimity also that a legislature's proceedings can be smooth and constructive only if the Presiding Officer is able to inspire as much confidence in the Opposition as he is able to do in the ruling parties. A stark reality is that this situation is totally absent in our House."

The Left leaders attacked Vajpayee saying despite being one of the country's senior-most politicians he has violated all norms and rules of the Parliamentary system.

"This is a black day for Parliamentary democracy. I equate this day with that when terrorists attacked Parliament," Dasgupta said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi attacked the Opposition for the boycott saying this was a sad day and said "waging a war" against the Speaker never helps Parliamentary system to function.

He appealed to the Leader of the Opposition L K Advani to reconsider the decision.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and Dasmunsi called on the Speaker after Vajpayee's letter expressing "shock" over it.

Mukherjee will meet leaders of non-NDA parties on Thursday in the light of the Opposition tactics. He talked to Advani and appealed to him to desist from the boycott.

Advani had promised to meet in the noon but failed to turn up, the Defence Minister said.

The Congress party also attacked the Opposition behaviour saying it undermined the institution of Speaker, he highest office in Lok Sabha, and exposed their lack of faith in Parliamentary democracy.